Posts filed under ‘Articles’
The Philosopher’s Cabin and the Household of Nature
“The Philosopher’s Cabin and the Household of Nature,” Ethics, Policy & Environment, 6:2 (2003), 131-141. [PDF]
Translated into Italian as “Il rifugio del filosofo e la dimora della natura,” Riga 46 (2023), 207-221. [PDF]
Abstract
The etymological origin of ecology in the human house is the point of departure of this article. It argues that oikos is not merely a vague metaphor for ecology, but that built households provide a key to understanding the household of nature. Three households support this claim: the cabins of Henry Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and Arne Næss. This article suggests that their views on the household of nature stand in direct relationship with their respective homes. They also have a distant epistemological bird’s-eye view of nature seen from homes which were located – imaginary or real – on a mountaintop.
The Context of Ecosystem Theory
“The Context of Ecosystem Theory,” Ecosystems, 5:7 (2002), 611-613.
Arthur George Tansley’s paper “The Temporal Genetic Series as a Means of Approach to Philosophy,” published here for the first time, provides the philosophical context for the development of his ecosystem theory. His rejection of idealist reasoning, his concern with ethics, and his long standing interest in Freudian psychology as well as mechanistic reasoning comprised the intellectual underpinnings for his thinking on systems and ecosystem theory.
Download Tansley’s “The Temporal Genetic Series as a Means of Approach to Philosophy”
Outline for a History of Ecological Architecture
“Outline for a History of Ecological Architecture,” M29: Yearbook for the Oslo School of Architecture, Mari Lending (ed.), (Oslo: The Oslo School of Architecture, 2002), 148-154.
From Skepticism to Dogmatism and Back
“From Skepticism to Dogmatism and Back: Remarks on the History of Deep Ecology,” in Philosophical Dialogues, Andrew Brennan and Nina Witoszek (eds.) (Rowman & Littlefield, 1999), 431-443.
The Dream of the Biocentric Community and the Structure of Utopias
“The Dream of the Biocentric Community and the Structure of Utopias,” with Nina Witoszek, Worldviews, 2 (1998), 239-256.
This paper examines the ideal of community as imagined by Arne Naess and the Deep Ecology Movement. In particular the authors address such questions as: Is pluralism of lifestyles reconcilable with the main ideas of the biocentric community? Is liberal justice possible within it? And how realistic is the proposal of education towards a ‘biocentric identity’? The analysis shows that, while the deep ecological vision is by no means ‘fascist’ as some of its critics insist, its inconsistencies, silences and omissions point to an incomplete project which has a dystopian conclusion written into its scenario.
Risk Management, Rationality, and Deep Ecology
“Risk Management, Rationality, and Deep Ecology,” in Environmental Risk and Ethics , Peder Anker (ed.) (Oslo: Centre for Development and the Environment, 1995).
On Ultimate Norms in Ecosophy T
“On Ultimate Norms in Ecosophy T” The Trumpeter (1998)
This essay does two things. It offers one possible interpretation of ArneNaess’s ultimate ecophilosophic norms, and it shows how these norms can support the following three statements in the deep ecological platform.
Peder Anker 